How to win at Christmas shopping online or in store

Shoppers spent a total of £324 on Christmas presents online last year, up 11 percentage points from £292 in 2017, the Royal Mail poll found.

Given the choice of pandemonium in your local town centre or getting all your Christmas shopping done at home while you put your feet up, it’s unsurprising the latter is the more appealing option for many.

The breadth of choice, ability to check prices and convenience of having everything dropped off at your front door makes online shopping a no-brainer. Yet, there are multiple pitfalls when it comes to buying presents online.

You may have to fork out a little more in store for the product you want, but inspecting an item in person allows you to feel it, handle it, check it for flaws and – if the customer service there is up to scratch – speak to a human being, as opposed to a faceless corporate representative, or worse, a chatbot, about any questions you have.

Negotiating public transport in miserable weather when you’re laden down with heavy bags is not ideal, or indeed possible, for many people with health issues and mobility problems. As for finding a parking spot, well, the less said the better.

Yet if you can make it into a store, at least you won’t have to deal with late deliveries, parcels that mysteriously disappear from your designated “safe spot”, or a box marked fragile that clanks and jangles ominously upon receipt.

My advice for people who are not limited by unreliable internet connections and who are able to get out and about is to do a bit of both.

Browse and pay for important orders online and choose Click and Collect to pick up in store. While you’re there, stock up on extra “bits” and goods that you would prefer to check out in person before handing over the cash.

Always work from a shopping list with at least a rough budget in mind to avoid overspending or making rash – or rubbish – purchases.